Barnevelder breeders lets work together and improve the breed

[Batty about Banties]

Week old Remi napping on her TeddyBear! Sorry for the quality I didn't have time to turn the heat lamp off, had to take the picture when I could during all the cuteness!!!

 

[tls_ranch]

Quote:
I "cull" many times because I don't have the room to grow out every cockerel or even all pullets completely. LOL, I have 22 cockerel chicks in my brooder and 8 older cockerels running around right now.

I start observing them for size first and there are always a few "stars" in the growth department. The smaller ones/ slower growing cockerels get singled out for "culling" first. Then after they feather out about starting at around 4-6 weeks I really start watching each one for head shape, color, body shape and comb shape. I keep selecting out the ones that I think look best and rehoming the others along the way.

For me a lot goes into "culling". I watch each chick including the pullets over weeks and weeks and pick out my favorites along the way. I look for many traits from comb quality to personality. The chicks that always scream and panic when picked up get no points in my book either. I pick them up a lot and look over their whole bodies from beak, wings to their toes and tails making mental notes along the way. My kids also "help" . After I'm done looking at them I hand them off to my daughter (age 3) and son (age 5) and they play with them. The chicks that tolerate being carried around by kids get even more points. My daughter sweet talks them and my son copies me and examines them remarking on the chick's legs, wings or beak LOL.

Trisha

 

[enggass]

Quote:
Hey Trisha,
Just looking at these pics again... How old are these two? A couple of weeks I'm guessing?
Steve

 

[tls_ranch]

Quote:
Hey Trisha,
Just looking at these pics again... How old are these two? A couple of weeks I'm guessing?
Steve

Hi Steve,
They are about 15 days old in that picture (give or take a day)

I ended up with about 50% girls/50% boys out of that hatch. I have about 20+ girls in one brooder and 20+ boys in another. The girls are outside in my double decker brooder with a 100watt heat lamp on them. They are feathering really fast

The boys still hardly have any feathering so they are inside our pump house in my smaller brooder with a 100watt lamp. If you need any more cockerel vs pullet pictures I have lots of chicks to take pictures off

They will be eating me out of house and home soon. Oh and I have a broody hen and I'm sooo tempted to put some eggs under her

Trisha

 

[Happy Chooks]

Some of my 8 week old cockerals still have bare spots.

 

[Rockportcrpntr]

I have two hens I hatched from Christina Ledfords hatching eggs and was wondering about the Johan lines you're talking about, would that be Johan Achterburg from CT? I was hoping to visit his farm and get some eggs from him.

 

[tls_ranch]

Quote:
Yes, Johan is "Farmer Johan" from CT. He imported his Barnevelders years ago.

Trisha

 

[Rockportcrpntr]

It's good to hear his genetics are so highly thought of, and he's only a couple of hours away on the way to my sisters house.

 

[RachaelS]

When candeling eggs, other than veins, what do you look for? I have a few that have large spots that are lighter than the rest of the egg. I forgot what that was called but remember it is not good.

 

[RachaelS]

There are two listings on eBay for batnam barnies, one looks really dark! I want them but my bator is FULL! maybe I should buy another bator

my DH would not be happy